A Boeing 787-9 takes off from the aircraft's manufacturing base in the U.S. in May. (Photo/Courtesy of Boeing)
Air China, the country's flagship carrier, unveiled its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner at a welcome ceremony in Beijing late on Wednesday, a move that is believed to show its ambition to expand further internationally in the coming years.
Beijing-based Air China is the first airline in the country to put a Dreamliner into service.
The airline has ordered 15 Dreamliners, the first seven of which will be delivered this year, followed by six more in 2017 and the rest in 2018.
The 787-9 complements and extends the 787 family of aircraft, Boeing said. The aircraft manufacturer extended the 787-9's fuselage by 6 meters over the 787-8, allowing the 787-9 to seat 40 more passengers.
The aircraft can also fly 830 kilometers farther than the 787-8 with the same environmental impact. Boeing said the 787-9 consumes 20 percent less fuel and releases 20 percent fewer emissions than similarly sized airplanes.
The 787-9 offers features such as modern LED lighting, higher humidity and a lower cabin altitude, Air China Vice President Liu Tiexiang told the Global Times Wednesday.
The Dreamliner's flight management system gives flight crews greater flight planning capabilities to select routes, altitude and timing to compute the fastest, most fuel-efficient route, according to Honeywell, which supplies the system.
On Thursday, Air China's first 787-9 made its maiden flight from Beijing to Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province.
After the airline takes delivery of its next two 787-9s, it will deploy the aircraft on its route to Frankfurt, Germany in July and its route from Beijing to Rome in August, according to Air China.
It expects to eventually use the 787-9 on routes to more cities in Europe and the U.S.
Air China plans to introduce the 787-9 on more routes as it expands further abroad and serves more international passengers. For example, Air China opened a direct route from Chongqing to Dubai in April.
Currently, Air China flies to six continents and has scheduled routes connecting 174 cities in 40 countries and regions. In 2015, it opened more routes than it ever had in a single year, and it has more international routes in the pipeline for 2016.
Air China has 24 percent of the market share for flights between China and Europe, the most of any airline, Liu said. In terms of transport volume, it is the largest carrier for flights between China and North America.
In the first quarter of 2016, Air China's revenue grew 4.38 percent year-on-year to 26.38 billion yuan ($4.02 billion).
The '787 era'
China's four largest airlines - Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Hainan Airlines - have all purchased 787s. On April 28, China Eastern Airlines signed a $4 billion deal with Boeing for 15 787 aircraft.
One could say China's civil aviation industry has entered the "787 era."
The four major airlines, plus Xiamen Airlines, have placed orders for 100 787s. To date, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Xiamen Airlines have taken delivery of 26 787-8s, which have brought huge changes to the companies.
Xiamen Airlines, which used to only operate single-aisle aircraft, has become an international airline, deploying 787s on its long routes, such as from Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, to Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
China Southern, the first Chinese airline to buy a 787, has deployed 787s on its direct routes from Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province to London, and from Guangzhou to Auckland, New Zealand.
With its fleet of 787s, Hainan Airlines has entered the North American market, with "dream destinations" such as Seattle, San Jose, Toronto, Chicago and Boston.
In the meantime, many more Dreamliners are flying to China from all over the world. Boeing said a 787 takes off or lands in China every 13 minutes.
In some aspects, 2016 could be described as the year of the 787-9 in China, as Air China has taken delivery of its first 787-9 aircraft in May. Hainan Airlines and Xiamen Airlines will receive their 787-9s later this year.
For China Eastern, the 787 is not a new aircraft. In 2005, the airline, along with Shanghai Airlines, which later became a China Eastern subsidiary, and three other carriers ordered 50 787-8s.
However, in 2011, China Eastern switched its order of 24 787s to 45 737s, to meet domestic demand for smaller aircraft.
China Eastern plans to use the 787-9 on cross-Pacific routes between China and North America, to strengthen its presence in the market.
In addition, Taiwan-based Eva Air has become the first airline from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong to deploy the 787-10.
